CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — A national law firm announced it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the estate of one of three people killed in a fiery crash on Interstate 81 in Cumberland County earlier this year.
Morgan & Morgan said Wednesday it is suing the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the crash, as well as a trucking company and shipping company, on behalf of the estate of Eileen Beck, one of three people killed in the July 14 crash on I-81 in Silver Spring Township.
The lawsuit contends that the driver of the tractor-trailer, Zeresenay Melake, "drove a total of 36 hours and 7 minutes in a 72-hour time period and failed to complete a 10-hour rest period during his shift," which violated Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Melake also had an unsafe driving history that the two other defendants named in the lawsuit, 4G Express and Flock Freight, had been aware of, "yet they chose to hire him anyway, and that during the time of his shift, they either knew or should have known that Mr. Melake was operating over hours and driving while fatigued," the lawsuit claims.
Beck, 80, was a passenger in a vehicle that was driving south on I-81 while Melake was driving his tractor-trailer on the opposite northbound side. Melake allegedly attempted to merge into the right lane on the northbound side but realized a car was in the way. The lawsuit claims he allegedly attempted to swerve back into the left lane, lost control of his truck, and crossed through the median and into oncoming traffic in the southbound lanes.
His truck then struck the vehicle that Beck was traveling in, a Subaru Outback, killing both her and the driver of the car, 79-year-old John Sheltman.
The Outback was allegedly pushed into another vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, also killing the driver of that car, Lieu Nguyen, 49, of Harrisburg.
Morgan & Morgan said it has been retained by Beck’s estate, which is run by her daughter, Amy Tama of Towanda.
Her attorneys, John Morgan and Clancy Boylan, shared the following statement about the case:
“Ms. Beck, who was most commonly known as ‘Grammy’ to her family and friends, left behind a community mourning her tragic and senseless death at the hands of a reckless driver. Mr. Melake and the companies that he worked for allegedly showed complete and utter disregard for the regulations that they were expected to uphold, demonstrating no consideration for the safety of everyone else on the road.
We will do everything we can do to bring some justice to Ms. Beck’s grieving family and hold all those responsible for this horrific incident.”
